The Other Side of Betrayal
by JediMaster-Jen
Summary: The concluding story of Tristan Kenobi and those around him as he spirals into darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Other Side of Betrayal

 **Summary:** The concluding story of Tristan Kenobi and those around him as he spirals into darkness.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Star Wars and I'm not making any money off of this.

/

 **Chapter 1**

/

 **Five Years After the end of The Tristan Betrayal**

/

 **Senate Building**

 **Grand Convocation Chamber**

/

Darex Jade reveled in the applause he was receiving as the new Chancellor of the Republic. With Vice-Chancellor Lorcan Orath standing on his left, he held up his hands to quiet the crowd.

"Fellow citizens, as I stand before you, humbled by your vote of confidence, I will make you a promise. Now that I am in charge, this war will come to a swift end."

Applause once again rifled through the chamber.

"Working in concert with my Vice-Chancellor and my staff, I intend to make certain your Republic is run efficiently and fairly."

/

 **Alderaan**

 **Organa Residence**

/

Padme watched Leia play with her daughter, three-year-old Rhyna Organa. The young girl was the first, and sadly, only child of twenty-two-year old Leia and her now-deceased husband, Ebran Organa.

Ebran and Leia had been married in a small, intimate ceremony four years ago shortly after Ebran had returned from his second tour of duty in the military. A year later, Rhyna was born and Leia made the decision to leave the Jedi Order to be a wife and a mother.

Just three months ago, the news came that Ebran had been killed in battle. The war she'd started when she chose to reactivate the clones had now taken the life of her son-in-law and left her granddaughter fatherless.

"Another casualty to add to my list," Padme whispered to herself.

"Mom, are you okay?" Leia's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Padme smiled guiltily. "Yes, darling, I'm fine. I was…lost in thought."

Leia nodded. "Well, I understand that sentiment. I've been in a fog for the past three months. Trying to…move on without Ebran has been…the hardest thing I've ever faced. The prospect of raising Rhyna on my own is daunting, to say the least."

Padme pulled her only daughter into a tight hug. "You're not on your own. I'll always be here for you and Rhyna. You have Bail and Breha. I promise you, you are _not_ alone."

Tears gathered in Leia's eyes. "I miss him, Mom. I miss him so much."

Padme just held her daughter. There were no words to make Leia feel better, nor to erase Padme's guilt.

/

 ** _Two Years Ago_**

 ** _Naboo_**

 _/_

 _Pooja Naberrie was the only guest at the wedding of her cousin, Luke. She watched on with a smile as Luke and Mara shared a tender kiss, sealing their vows of marriage._

 _Luke pulled back from the kiss and smiled at his new bride. "Best day of my life, right here, right now."_

 _Mara smirked. "Of course it is, you just married me, Farmboy."_

 _Pooja chuckled. "Why do you call him that?"_

 _Mara shrugged as she linked her arms through Luke's. "I don't know, really. One day I had the feeling that…somewhere, in another place or…in another life, Luke must have been a farmboy."_

 _After the holy man had left, Pooja fixed a brunch and the three sat down to eat together. Luke and Mara would be leaving for a very short honeymoon before then returning to Coruscant and their duties as Jedi Knights._

 _Since they'd both been knighted the year before, they'd become quite the team. Their missions had resulted in the capture and arrest of numerous Separatist leaders and soldiers._

 _The decision to marry had come late one night when they had been waiting to catch a wanted criminal on the Dagu in the Outer Rim Territories, which had long ago been the site of a battle during the first Clone War._

/

 _"How much longer do you think we'll have to wait?" Luke asked, annoyance bleeding through in his tone._

 _"As long as it takes, Skywalker," Mara quipped. "Silyn is slippery, you know that. He's been wanted for nearly a year."_

 _Luke sighed. "I know."_

 _Mara grasped his hand in hers. "Luke, what's wrong?"_

 _He took a deep breath and turned to face her. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I promise. I know that…well, this isn't the best timing and certainly not the best place, but…"_

 _"But what?" she asked impatiently._

 _"Will you marry me?" he blurted out in a rush._

 _Mara was dumbfounded. "Marry you?"_

 _Luke grinned as he reached out to frame her face in his hands. "Yes, marry me. We've been dancing around this since we were teenagers. Don't you think it's time we do something about it?"_

 _Mara laughed nervously. "Luke, I…"_

 _"Do you love me?"_

 _She answered without hesitation. "Yes. You already know that."_

 _"Yeah, I do," he confirmed. "You know I love you. I already know about all your arguments, too. We're too young. We're fighting a war. We never know when something could go wrong."_

 _"Those are all true, valid arguments," she reminded him._

 _Luke sat back against the side of the dwelling where they were staking out their prey. He pulled Mara into his arms and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead._

 _"Do you believe that it will hurt less if one of us dies if we're not married?"_

 _Mara considered his words. She knew deep in her heart that she would be devastated if Luke died regardless of their marital status._

 _"Okay," she whispered. "Yes. My answer is yes."_

 _Luke beamed and pulled her into a deep kiss, only to be interrupted by his droid beeping, alerting them to the presence of their target._

/

 **Present-day**

 **The Jedi Temple**

/

Arik Skywalker had grown into a tall, powerfully-built young man of twenty. He stood at equal height to his father and nearly matched him in force power.

"Master?" the young man called.

Jedi Master Ferus Olin was startled. He was seated cross-legged in front of a large pond in the Room of a Thousand Fountains and hadn't even sensed the approach of his apprentice.

Arik smiled as he took a seat next to his mentor. "I don't recall ever being able to sneak up on you before, Master."

Ferus mumbled. "I was deep in thought."

Arik looked around and immediately recognized the section of the room his mentor had taken refuge within. He'd heard stories from his father about Obi-Wan and Siri and their friends using the pond as a swimming pool, even as adults.

"Missing your Master?" he asked the older man softly.

"Yes," he admitted quietly. "Missing my family, as well."

Arik smiled at the mention of Ferus' family. He'd been with his master more often than not when Ferus had traveled home to Bellassa to visit with his wife, Yashen and children, Tylana and Kyal. Oddly enough, neither child had a midichlorian count high enough to become a Jedi.

"I miss mine, too," Aril contributed. "I haven't seen Mom and Leia in a while. Force only knows where Luke is, and my dad, he's…"

"He's had a difficult time processing what happened with Tristan," Ferus finished. "We all have."

"I know," Arik said. "I spoke with him a few days ago, and he mentioned he's considering taking another apprentice."

Ferus' eyes widened. "Interesting development."

"I thought so, too," he said. "But, maybe he's ready. It's been five years since Tristan fell and left the Jedi."

"It's been five years since a lot of things, Padawan-mine," Ferus said, his gaze having settled on his student.

Arik nodded solemnly. "You mean Master Garen."

Ferus didn't speak. He could see and sense that Arik had already been swept away by memories of his fallen master.

/

In the Council chamber, Anakin stood staring out across the city-scape at the Senate building. Uneasiness was biting at the edges of his consciousness as his gaze lingered on the seat of power on Coruscant.

"Bothering you, something is, Master Skywalker?" Yoda asked from behind the tall Jedi.

Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master. I feel…cold. I sense a presence in the Senate which…it's elusive. I feel like I should recognize it, but I don't, I _can't_ for some reason."

"Hmm, meditation perhaps will light the way," Yoda suggested.

Anakin smiled. Meditation was usually always Yoda's suggestion. "Yes, Master. Perhaps."

Yoda floated away on his hover chair, leaving Anakin once again alone with his thoughts. Within moments, his comlink chirped.

"Skywalker."

An automated voice sounded. _"Incoming transmission from Alderaan."_

"Transmit to my quarters," Anakin instructed and swept from the chamber and headed for his quarters.

/

Padme went inside when the com station chirped, alerting her to an incoming message.

Within minutes, Anakin's face appeared before her.

 _"Hello, Angel."_

Padme grinned. "Hello, Ani. It's been far too long."

It had been nearly two years since they'd been together, standing face to face. Padme had chosen not to return to Coruscant, opting instead to move from Naboo to Alderaan when Ebran had been killed.

For Anakin's part, he'd taken refuge from both missing his wife and grieving for this lost apprentice with one mission after another. It had left him little time for his family. He saw his children from time to time, but not Padme.

" _Yes, it has," he agreed. "How are Leia and Rhyna?"_

Padme frowned sadly. "It's been a very…challenging three months. She comes from strong stock, our daughter. She's tough, but she's had her breakdowns as well. Having Rhyna to take care of certainly helps."

As the conversation moved on, Anakin and Padme both realized they were simply making small talk. There was little substance to any other their conversations outside of mentions of their children or granddaughter.

"Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?" she suddenly asked.

Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. " _I don't know. We've held on so tightly for so long, maybe we've forgotten how to let go of things."_

"Is that what our marriage has become? A _thing_ to let go of?"

Anakin's heart clinched when he answered. _"Yes."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

/

 **Several Weeks Later**

 **Jedi Temple**

/

Yoda and Mace were speaking quietly when Anakin entered one of the many meditation gardens located within the temple.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Masters," Anakin said as he bowed before the two senior members of the order.

"Need to talk, do you?" Yoda surmised.

Anakin nodded.

Mace offered a seat. "Sit, young Skywalker."

Anakin chuckled as he sat down. "You haven't called me that since…well, in a long time."

"Troubles you, something does," Yoda said. "Tell us, you will."

Anakin cleared his throat. "Since I've been back the last week, I've been meditating and last night, I…I reached for the bond Tristan and I had and…"

"And?" Mace prompted.

"Five years ago, I still had some small sense of him," he said. "The bond was torn, ripped apart by his actions, but there were pieces left. Now, nothing. I feel nothing when I reach for it. It's completely gone."

"Bother you, this does, how? Why?" Yoda questioned.

Anakin sighed. "I feel…empty. It's not the same as when Obi-Wan…when he died. That was a traumatic severing of the bond. This is…different, but the same. I feel the absence in my soul. I wish to…"

"You wish to take another apprentice," Mace said, having sensed the thoughts of the younger man.

"I just don't know if it's a good idea," Anakin revealed his own insecurity. "I didn't do so well with my first apprentice. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes."

Yoda rested a clawed hand on Anakin's arm. "Aware of the mistakes, you are. Therefore, repeat them, you will not."

"I don't have your confidence, Master."

"Have you got your eye on anyone yet?" Mace wondered.

"Actually, yes," he answered. "He's ten years old; a little young yet to become a Padawan, but he's…"

Anakin stopped when he realized both Mace and Yoda were laughing.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten that you were only nine years of age when you became Obi-Wan's Padawan Learner?" Mace asked.

Anakin sighed. "No, of course not. But, looking back, I was too young. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on a child so young."

"Anakin, there will always be pressure on any child you choose to be your student," Mace told him. "Being the student of the Chosen One will come with its own set of burdens."

Anakin looked down at his booted feet. "Is that why…did me being who and _what_ I am cause Tristan to…"

"No," Yoda said firmly. "Young Kenobi's choices, his own they were. Your fault, it was not."

"Does this initiate have a name?

Anakin smiled. "Tomas Malric."

The three continued to talk for some time before Yoda excused himself to go meditate.

/

"Dad!" Luke called as he spotted his father waiting for a lift to take him to his quarters.

Anakin smiled at the sight of his eldest son. "Luke, when did you get back? Where have you been?"

The two Skywalker men shared a hug as they met. "Just around."

Anakin was aware of the fact his son was often given some of the more dangerous missions handed out to Knights. Mara as well. The two made a good team.

"Where is Mara?"

"She was going to see her father," Luke told him. "Since he's the new Chancellor and all, she thought a visit might be in order."

Anakin's face took on a look of trepidation. "I don't know that associating with Darex Jade is the best idea for her; for any Jedi."

Luke folded his arms. "You sense something?"

Anakin shook his head. "No, not really. I sense something…wrong, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Isn't that odd?" Luke asked teasingly. "Shouldn't the Chosen One be able to sense something when no one else can?"

Anakin knew Luke was teasing, but he felt compelled to answer seriously. "I'm not all-powerful, Son. No Jedi is all-powerful. That lesson came at a terrible price for me when I was little older than you are now. You'd do well to remember it."

"You mean Master Kenobi, don't you?" Luke asked. "His death?"

Anakin nodded. "His death, my mother's death, Siri's, Garen's and so many others I couldn't prevent."

Luke understood, more than Anakin believed. "I know, Dad."

Anakin wrapped an arm over his son's shoulders and was about to invite him to dinner when Yoda's hover chair approached.

"Come with me, the two of you will," he announced.

Both Skywalker's turned to follow the already retreating Jedi Master.

/

"What's this about, Master?" Luke asked his former teacher.

"Spent many hours in meditation, I have recently," Yoda revealed. "Telling me the Force is to go to Dagobah. Come with me, both of you will. Leave in the morning, we will."

"Dagobah?" Anakin questioned. "I've never heard of it."

"Originated on Dagobah, my species did," Yoda revealed. "Gone from Dagobah, a long time we have been. Sense something there, I do. Tells me that important it is, the Force does. Go, we must."

"In the morning?" Anakin asked. "Early?"

"Before the sunrise, we must leave," Yoda explained.

He quickly dismissed Anakin and Luke then, advising them to get as much rest as possible. They would be piloting Yoda's personal shuttle.

/

"I've never even heard of Dagobah," Mara said from her place on the couch in Luke's quarters. "Where is it?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. I went into the Archives and looked for it, but there was no information available. According to Master Yoda, his species originated there, but has been gone for a long time."

"I guess you'll find out soon enough," Mara said with a smile. "For tonight, are you tired?"

Luke grinned as he leaned towards his wife and spoke in a whisper. "Not at all."

Their lips met in a tender kiss. Mara's hands went to Luke's shaggy blonde hair just as he pulled back and swept her into his arms. He headed for his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him.

/

 **Dagobah**

/

Time and age had become his enemies long ago, but never before had Gavrem Dooku felt the end so near. The moment he'd sensed the presence of approaching humans, he'd known the time had come for him to reveal his secrets.

"It's cold," Luke commented.

Anakin looked at his son like he was crazy. "It's a swamp, Luke, it's humid, not cold."

Luke shook his head. "Not temperature cold, Dad, just…cold."

"The dark side, you sense," Yoda revealed. "A cave there is. Permeates it, the darkness does. A good hiding place, this is."

"Who would be fool enough to hide here?" Anakin asked as he looked down at his mud-caked boots.

"Me," creaked an old voice from behind the trio of Jedi.

Anakin spun on his heels and he was stunned by what he saw. His hand immediately went to his lightsaber.

"Still quick to anger, Skywalker," Dooku said softly.

"Why aren't you dead?" Anakin asked heatedly. "You should be."

Luke watched this very old man move slowly from his position to a log where he sat down heavily. His breathing was erratic and he was sweating.

Yoda slowly approached his former apprentice. "What to say, have you?"

"There are things you need to know, Master," Dooku revealed.

If Yoda or the others were surprised by the honorific, they didn't show it. Yoda simply moved to sit alongside his old student while Anakin gently probed Dooku through the Force.

Shock took hold when he didn't sense any darkness in the old man. Only light.

"The Force led Master Yoda here, to you," Luke said. "What things do you have to tell us?"

Dooku studied the young man; his appearance, his Force-signature. "You're Skywalker's son."

Luke nodded. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"Gavrem Dooku," he announced. "Your father knows me as _Count_ Dooku."

"I know you as a murderer, and a traitor, Dooku," Anakin snapped. "Why are we here?"

"The information I have to give you may be the only way to save the galaxy from Darex Jade," he revealed.

"Know of our Chancellor, you do?" Yoda questioned, wondering how Dooku, having been isolated on Dagobah for so long could have any knowledge of current events.

"I have my sources, Master," he replied. "You must stop Darex Jade. He is dangerous, and he will succeed where his father failed if you don't stop him."

A sense of foreboding fell over Anakin then. He had the distinct feeling that his past, and his destiny had caught up to him.

"Who's his father?" he asked, somehow hearing the Force whispering the answer even before Dooku gave it voice.

"Palpatine," Dooku said. "Palpatine was the father of Darex Jade."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

/

Anakin couldn't stop his gasp of shock. Whatever he'd been expecting, the announcement that Chancellor Palpatine was Darex Jade's father was not it.

"Know this, how?" Yoda questioned.

"Many years ago, when Darex was a young man working in the Registrar's Office in Theed, I went to him and gave him the information he'd been searching for since childhood," Dooku explained. "He'd been searching for his father, with little to no luck."

"But you changed all that," Anakin stated.

"Yes," Dooku volunteered. "I had already left the Jedi Order and was in the early stages of my relationship with Palpatine, whom I already knew as Lord Sidious."

"Know this information, Jade did not?"

Dooku shook his head. "No, Master. His mother had never divulged the identity of his father to young Darex. Perhaps she knew what Palpatine was, and what he would become."

"How did you learn the truth?" Luke wondered. "If no one else knew, not even Darex or Palpatine, how did _you_ come across the information?"

Dooku smiled. "Know thy enemy, know thy self. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. It's a simple quote, but very true. I made it my business to know everything I could about my…associate. I discovered Palpatine had once been married. I traced the movements of his wife and stumbled upon the very well-buried secret that she had given birth to a son."

"Oh, gods," Luke suddenly groaned and nearly collapsed to the ground.

Anakin rushed to his son. "Luke, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Mara," he whispered. "She's his…his granddaughter."

Anakin sucked in a breath. He knew how his son felt about the beautiful red-headed Jedi. Finding out the woman you love is the granddaughter of a Sith Lord wasn't easy.

"It doesn't change who she is, Luke," he told his son. "She's not her grandfather, or even her father. Mara is her own person."

Luke nodded, taking deep breaths. "I know. I know. It's…I'm okay."

"The Republic is in terrible danger," Dooku continued. "Skywalker, when you defeated Palpatine, it was only a stop-gap. Palpatine wanted you, the Chosen One, on his side. You would have made him even more powerful."

"Possible how, that would have been?" Yoda questioned.

"The dark side feeds off of itself," Dooku said. "The more anger, hate, fear poured into something, the more powerful it becomes. Palpatine used other Force users to his advantage. If he could have turned Skywalker, his power combined with his negative emotions would have fed Palpatine's own, thus making him stronger, more powerful."

"Why is the Republic in danger?" Anakin demanded. "If Palpatine wanted me so badly, what was his plan beyond turning me to the dark side?"

"The clones," Dooku said. "He was behind the manufacture of the clones."

"What purpose, for?"

"To eliminate the Jedi Order," Dooku revealed.

/

 **Alderaan**

/

"Leia, what's wrong?" Padme questioned her daughter.

Leia, having walked back into the living room after putting Rhyna down for her nap, shook her head as she sat down.

"I don't…I'm not sure," she admitted. "I think…something's wrong with Luke."

Sometimes Padme wished she had the same connection to the Force her children did. Luke and Leia especially, being twins, were connected in a way few understood.

"Is he okay?" Padme asked nervously.

Leia looked at her mother and smiled reassuringly. "Yes, he seems fine, just…shocked about something. I don't sense that he's in any danger or injured."

Padme couldn't quite contain her sigh of relief. "What about…about your father?"

Leia concentrated on reaching out for her father. Many long moments went by before she reopened her eyes. "He seems fine, Mom. I think he and Luke are together."

Padme smiled. "Well, at least they'll look after each other."

Leia knew something was wrong between her parents. It wasn't something new, it went back to the beginning of this new war.

"Mom, what…you and Daddy haven't been the same since this war began," Leia started. "I can feel the…disconnect between the two of you."

Padme shrugged helplessly. Their conversation weeks before had ended abruptly when Anakin had been summoned by the Council. It had felt for all the galaxy like an ending.

"Your father and I have some issues between us to work out," was the answer Padme settled on. "We'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Leia asked. "Seems hard to work things out when you're here and Dad's…wherever he is."

"Yes," Padme gave as the wheels in her mind began turning. "I'm sure."

/

"A plan to accomplish this, Palpatine had?" Yoda wanted to know. "A plan Darex Jade has revived?"

Dooku nodded. "Palpatine had a plan, yes. Master Sifo-Dyas was being used by Palpatine. Palpatine knew of Sifo-Dyas' gift of precognition. When he learned of Sifo-Dyas' intention of commissioning a clone army, he…"

"He what?" Luke questioned.

Dooku rubbed a hand through his thinning, very white hair. "He sent me to Kamino to oversee the…construction of the clones."

"Why?" Anakin demanded. "What's so important about these clones? You said they could eliminate the Jedi. How?"

"The clones have a…a microchip inserted into their brains," he began. "The information on the chip is every order they were programmed to follow. The simple ones were related to obeying orders from their superiors, getting proper rest so as to perform their duties at maximum function. But the last one on the microchip is encoded as _Order 66_."

"Know you what Order 66 is?" Yoda asked.

Dooku nodded. "Yes, Master. In short, it's a kill order. Once Order 66 is issued, the clones will turn on their Jedi commanders and…kill them."

Yoda heaved a sigh. Anakin and Luke gasped.

"Was Palpatine the only one who could issue the order?" Anakin asked quietly, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No," Dooku revealed. "No, but he counted on the fact that only he and I knew of its existence."

"So what makes you so sure Darex Jade knows about the order?" Luke asked.

Dooku shrugged. "The Force, young Skywalker. My feelings tell me he knows. Once I'd told him of his heritage, he went looking, quietly and unobtrusively, into his past. It isn't a stretch to believe he could have found out about a great many things regarding his father, including his plans for the Jedi."

"Right, Dooku is," Yoda declared. "If unaware Jade was, decommission the clones he would have. Of no use to him would they be."

Another though occurred to Anakin then. "Is Darex Jade Force-sensitive?"

"I do not believe so," Dooku answered immediately. "I think that was part of how and why Palpatine never discovered his birth. Had Darex been Force-sensitive, I don't believe Palpatine would have let him be raised by his mother."

Luke jumped up from where he'd been sitting. "We have to warn the Jedi, Master Yoda. Now that Jade is control of the Republic, he could give the order at any time."

"I agree, Master," Anakin said. "We have to act quickly."

Yoda looked at Dooku; old, failing health, but strong in the light once again. "With us, you will come, my old apprentice?"

Dooku smiled. "No, Master. I must stay here, in exile. It is far better than I deserve for my crimes."

Yoda accepted his answer and motioned to Anakin and Luke. "Return to Coruscant immediately, we must."

As their ship lifted off, Dooku watched it fade in the distance. Once again, he was left alone with his thoughts. He'd done what he could to aid the Jedi he'd abandoned and betrayed so long ago. Tired and weary, he slowly made his way back to his dwelling where he sat heavily on his makeshift bed. He laid down gently and rested his head on the pillow. Several deep breaths later…

/

"Gone, Dooku is," Yoda announced from the cockpit of the ship. "Passed into the Force, he has."

Despite what Dooku had done to assist them, which Anakin hoped would give them a fighting chance, he felt nothing but satisfaction in the fact that Dooku was dead.

"He tried, Dad," Luke said, sensing his father's thoughts. "In the end, he tried to make it right."

Anakin stared at his son. "He lopped off my hand, Luke. That's hard to forgive."

"Asking for forgiveness, Dooku was not," Yoda told the two men. "Righting a wrong, he was. Seeking redemption from the Force, not from us. Earned it, he did."

Anakin chose to change the subject. "Master, can we…would it be possible to go to Alderaan before we go home?"

Luke's eyes lit up. His mother and sister were on Alderaan.

/

Darex sat in his office staring at a holo of his father right after the man had been elected to the Senate.

"Your plans are coming together, Father," Darex whispered. "Finally, we shall have our revenge on the Jedi."

His door opened suddenly then and Tristan Kenobi swept into the room.

"Ah, my young apprentice," Darex greeted. "Good to see you. What news do you bring from Agamar?"

Tristan, dressed from head to toe in black with a lightsaber dangling from his belt, took a seat in front of Darex's desk.

"The fighting has intensified," Tristan reported. "The Jedi are quickly retaking the planet from our forces. The tide of this fight is turning, Master. I feel if we hope to regain the upper hand, the time to issue Order 66 is upon us."

Darex felt the same. "Very soon, my friend. Very soon. In the meantime, I've discovered something quite pleasant."

Darex held out his hand and immediately, the framed holo floated into the air.

Tristan gaped. "You…how are you doing that?"

Darex grinned. "Through you. Your strength is amplifying mine. My powers are growing thanks to you."

Tristan grinned as the two continued to discuss the war, the clones and the Jedi.

/

 **Alderaan**

/

Anakin and Luke sprinted from the ship as soon as they'd landed in the docking bay. They had alerted Padme and Leia of their arrival and when they entered the villa, they found both women packed.

"Luke, what is it?" Leia asked immediately upon seeing her brother.

He quickly explained while Anakin did the same with Padme.

"What can we do?" Padme asked as she grabbed her bags and began following them out.

"Master Yoda thinks we can try to arrest Jade before he issues the order for the clones to kill the Jedi," Anakin offered. "But we need influential people to go to the Lawyer General and get a warrant."

"You think I can help with that?" she questioned.

As they boarded the ship, Anakin replied. "We hope so. The Jedi may not survive if you can't."

Padme couldn't help but think the Jedi being in danger was her fault. It all stemmed back to her desire to stop the Republic from fracturing once again, which happened anyway once she reactivated the clones.

"Will Rhyna be safe here?" Leia asked as she strapped herself in.

Anakin nodded. "Yes, she will. I've employed the services of a couple of…bodyguards for her."

Leia frowned. "What kind of bodyguards?"

Luke grinned as the ship lifted off. "The kind that shoot first and ask questions later."


End file.
